Some fish steer only with their head, letting the rest of their body wiggle at will to propel them forward. Some mountain bikers do as well. Riding with eyes up, heels dipped, and a rear tire whipping aimlessly from side to side. Those playful characters will struggle occasionally with the newly revamped Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB) Judge SG1 rear tire. This tire is made to hold a line.
WTB Judge SG1 tire key specs
- 29×2.4″ and 27.5×2.4″ sizes
- Price: $89.95
- Buy from Worldwide Cyclery ($80.95 at time of publication)
The renewed WTB Judge SG1 is said to be grippier than its predecessor. The casing comes in 27.5×2.4″ and 29×2.4” sizes, both with the tough casing and High Grip tread compound as their only option. If you’re after a lighter tire or longer-wearing tread, look elsewhere.
We tested the 29” tire paired with a WTB Verdict SG1 under the handlebars. The weight for this tire is in the 1,300g range and tread life seems a little better than expected for a sticky gravity tread. Setup was a breeze with the supplied WTB tubeless sealant and the fluid looked fairly clean once the tires were removed for review.
Now, back to the fishtailing. Some tires, like the Schwalbe Big Betty, tend to slide sideways under heavy lateral pressure. On one occasion, I slid a near 180° in a smooth berm. I didn’t intend to slide the tire, but the pressure pushing up the berm was enough to break it free. A little panic braking followed, and the snake ate its tail.
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I haven’t experienced that uncontrolled breakaway with the Judge SG1 out back. The tire holds fast, feeling great on off-camber singletrack and flat corners. Of course you can break it loose, but it requires a little more work than other rear gravity tread patterns. Once the Judge does drift it has a fairly predictable and controlled slide.
Do fish slow down with their tails? Well, we do, and the Judge makes a fantastic anchor. Large braking bars that cross the central tread do well to snag earth and slow forward motion. This is a lot of tire to pedal uphill, but if steep loamy tracks are your bag, the Judge will add some speed control to that chaos.
As we can expect with any proper gravity casing, these tires require a truckload of force to puncture. I would trust these casings just as much as the Maxxis Double Down I recently tested and happily leave my tube strapped to my frame. I’m not sure if that tube even holds air these days, and I doubt I’ll have to find out any time soon.
Pros and cons of WTB Judge SG1
Pros
- Predictable braking traction
- Great puncture protection
Cons
- Heavy and expensive, like all modern gravity tires
Bottom line
Most comparable to the Maxxis Minion DHR II, the Judge SG1 is a fantastic rear rudder option for gravity riding. It will take a few more calories to pedal uphill than some trail tires, and the DH performance is worthwhile.
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